Several weeks ago I became aware of a new social networking site called Ello. It’s an up and coming network that is still very much in beta but the plan is it won’t have ads but will be free to use for everyone. I will point out that further examination shows there will be features added that will have a one-time fee that I assume will cover the costs. I requested an invitation and finally got one on the weekend. Setting up the account was pretty quick and easy and profile options are quite basic right now.

My first impression is of a network that is rather stark and empty, but more like a blank canvas with potential to become something. I’m not quite sure what that something is but I do have hope they have some success with it. Of course the down side is this is a much smaller network than Facebook and it’s unlikely to get too many people moving to it and using it for a while. I was optimistic when Google + came out a few years ago and really liked the look of it but it just hasn’t caught on with most people so it sits and mostly is a place for reading posts from few groups I follow there. And there was another network I joined that had a similar idea to be ad free from the beginning but never went anywhere to my best knowledge. I think it still exists but I can’t even recall its name right now and haven’t logged in for probably a year or more. Perhaps Ello will go further and maybe even be a success. Meanwhile, I need to work out how I want to fit in my social networking life.